CHICAGO, May 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As Nurses Month comes to a close, Nurse Capital, a venture capital firm dedicated to investing in nurse-led enterprises, is pleased to announce a new collaboration with the University City Science Center in Philadelphia to identify nurse-founded startups as candidates for the Science Center’s Capital Readiness Program (CRP).
The CRP is a five-day, in-person due diligence bootcamp for healthcare startups specializing in devices, diagnostics, and digital health. This highly selective, no-cost program prepares founders for their first significant round of venture capital funding ($1M+).
“Many nurse founders are bootstrapping, securing grant funding, raising small angel investments, piloting products, and winning pitch competitions to fund their startups,” said Beth A. Brooks, PhD, RN, FACHE, Co-founder and General Partner of Nurse Capital. “Yet for many of these founders, there exists a significant gap between early innovation and readiness for institutional venture capital.”
Nurse founders often bring deep clinical expertise and firsthand understanding of healthcare delivery, Brooks noted. Many also possess meaningful operational leadership experience inside complex healthcare systems. Their challenges, she pointed out, are gaining access to the commercialization strategy, investor readiness, fundraising structure, scaling support, and go-to-market infrastructure needed to transition from promising healthcare innovation into a venture-scalable business.
Nurse Capital’s collaboration with the University Science Center is designed to identify potential candidates for its Capital Readiness Program. The program is offered three times a year with 10 startups in each cohort. Participants receive one-on-one mentoring with Science Center Investors-in-Residence and other subject matter experts on the essentials of fundraising, from building a cap table to IP protections to board management. Participants also learn from case studies and “stress-test” scenarios that simulate real-world startup challenges; and gain a “360° perspective” on industry expectations from payors and providers.
“We strongly believe that healthcare innovation — and especially nurse-led healthcare innovation — benefits from more specialized founder-development infrastructure than what is often available through generalized startup incubators and accelerators,” said Nurse Capital General Partner Dan Weberg, PhD, MHI, RN, FAAN. “This collaboration with the Science Center is another step forward in our efforts to build a stronger network of support around nurse-specific innovation and entrepreneurship.”
The next CRP cohort session will take place December 7-11, 2026. The application deadline is August 21. Click here to learn more about the Capital Readiness Program and to apply.
About Nurse Capital
Nurse Capital is a venture capital fund based in Chicago that makes early-stage investments in nurse-led, high-growth-potential businesses that are transforming the future of healthcare. Learn more at https://nursecapital.net/.
About the University City Science Center
The Science Center is a premier catalyst of entrepreneurial activity, healthcare innovation, and economic growth. Recognized by The Brookings Institution as a top-tier investor, mentor, and economic development partner, the Science Center has supported hundreds of early- and growth-stage companies, driving a combined $7.8B in annual economic impact in Greater Philadelphia alone. Today, the organization works across the globe to accelerate the translation of health innovations into real-world solutions, while delivering nationally recognized STEM education to Philadelphia youth. For more information, visit sciencecenter.org.
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SOURCE Nurse Capital
